Chapter 1777 Ziyu
At dinner that night, Zhulan remembered that she had forgotten something and asked Rongchuan, "Lu Jiaqing hasn't come back yet?"
The child rode a horse and should be back by now since he is fast.
Rong Chuan, "I sent a letter saying that I was delayed and it will take some time before I can return."
Xue Han continued, "Mom, has Fourth Brother sent any letters back recently?"
Zhulan used the serving chopsticks to pick up some food for Xiaer and said, "I sent a letter back a few days ago. He is in Chuanzhou City and wants to go to Lizhou City, and then go back to Chuanzhou to take the autumn examination."
Xue Han, "Fourth brother is going to visit his uncles?"
"Well, it's rare that I'm close enough to go take a look, otherwise I'll be too busy to take a look."
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard and continued, "I wrote a letter to your cousin Wu Chun, asking him to select some veterans in the barracks who are good at fighting and want to retire, and let your fourth brother bring them back."
My own children have grown up, and the guards we hired are not enough. So if you calculate it this way, the Marquis's Mansion has already hired quite a few people, and all of this is money, money that cannot be saved!
Rong Chuan said: "Dad, if you need a bodyguard, tell me and I will find you one with better skills."
Zhou Shuren waved his hand, "You don't have to worry about finding a way out. Wu Chunxuan's veterans need a way out, and the Marquis' Mansion is a good way out for them."
Another point is that Wu Chunxuan's family background is clean, but it is hard to say about the situation in the capital.
In Chuanzhou City, Changzhi and Qianjiang were drinking in a restaurant. The two did not enter the private room. Qianjiang said in a deep voice, "It's not easy to invite Brother Zhou out for a drink."
Changzhi explained, "I am preparing for the autumn examination."
He didn't say he took the exam. He was telling the truth. Well, he wasn't lying.
Qian Jiang narrowed his eyes, "Brother Zhou, aren't you about to set off?"
Chang Zhi curled his lips and said, "Well, we must set off."
Qian Jiang sipped his wine and said, "Beijing is a mixed bag of people. I wish Brother Zhou all the best."
Changzhi picked up the wine glass and said, "Thank you, Brother Qian."
Changzhi always used the courtesy name "Ziyu" when dating Qian Jiang, so Qian Jiang didn't know his name yet.
Qian Jiang had more to say, but in the end he sighed that everyone has different aspirations. Then he thought that no matter how evil the situation was in the capital, it would not be as bad as in Sichuan Province.
Changzhi suddenly looked down and carefully confirmed that he was not mistaken. The boy who came in was Lu Jiaqing. The boy sat down in a corner and looked at the cold air on his body, wishing he could freeze himself to death.
Changzhi had never received any letters from home. He was the one who wrote letters home ever since he left Kyoto. How did Lu Jiaqing appear in Chuanzhou?
Qian Jiang called out again, "Brother Zhou."
Chang Zhi came back to his senses, "I was distracted just now, what did Brother Qian say?"
Qian Jiang said: "I said I have to go see my grandfather, so I can't send Brother Zhou off."
Changzhi: "Okay."
Afterwards, the two chatted about something else. When Chang Zhi went downstairs, he couldn't help but look towards Lu Jiaqing's position, and then made eye contact with the child.
Lu Jiaqing's hand that was picking up food paused. He had not figured out which master the Marquis's wife was talking about was in danger until he heard that Zhou Siye had become the chief examiner of Sichuan Province. Then he realized that Zhou Siye had come to Sichuan Province not only for the chief examiner position.
Then he thought about it carefully and realized that there was something he didn't understand. Zhou Siye had not been in the capital for a long time, and he had wondered whether he would meet him in Chuanzhou. He didn't expect that he would meet him just when he was about to leave.
Since Zhou Siye came to Chuanzhou for a purpose, does he still need to bring back the things he wants to bring back? Should he secretly meet Siye?
Chang Zhi thought that Lu Jiaqing would come looking for him late at night, but in the middle of the night, not to mention people, he didn't even hear a dog barking. When he woke up in the morning, his eyes were a little dark, and it was obvious that he hadn't slept.
Seeing this, Ding Jue asked, "Sir, did you not get enough rest?"
Changzhi gritted his teeth, "Yeah."
Ding Jue, "."
So it’s not that I didn’t get enough rest, I don’t know who made the adults angry!
Outside Chuanzhou City, Lu Jiaqing touched the things in his arms, and after thinking it over, he decided that it would be better not to meet. Besides, handing it to the Prince of Qin would allow the Emperor to see it faster, while handing it to Master Zhou would require waiting. So he made up his mind to have a good sleep and set off for Beijing.
Two days later, Zhou Shuren was calculating how much money he could save to start a pharmaceutical factory. Halfway through his calculations, he saw a shadow blocking the light from his head. He raised his head and fell silent.
The emperor narrowed his eyes and asked, "My dear, how much wealth have you hidden?"
Zhou Shuren, "Your Majesty, do you want to scare me to death? Can scaring someone to death be a way of killing them?"
The emperor thought Zhou Shuren was very courageous, and pointed at the list on the table, "Let's talk about this first?"
Zhou Shuren didn't feel guilty at all. "The deed to the house is indeed gone. The deed stated some antiques that are worth preserving."
Antiques from the golden age of turbulent times have great room for appreciation now that the country is stable and the economy is developing rapidly.
The emperor thought to himself, this old man is really good at hiding things, and he can't check the registration books one by one. He believes that Marquis Zhou would not be corrupt, but this old man clearly has something in his hands. Every time he makes a suggestion, Zhou Shuren would first say that he has no money!
Zhou Shuren felt that his luck today was terrible. This was the last thing he had left. "It's really gone."
The emperor asked in a puzzled tone, "Really?"
"It's true, truer than the sun rising in the east. In my dreams, I count the money in the national treasury. I feel miserable. I can only create greater value on a limited basis. Is it easy for you to be my minister?"
The emperor coughed and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Zhou Shuren picked up the booklet and said, "I am a thief, but I have never missed a penny of the money I was supposed to give. The Ministry of Medicine setting up a pharmaceutical factory is a major event that benefits the country and the people. After hearing what the emperor said, I calculated the money every day and took out all the money that was hidden in the bottom of the box. Look at the half-finished abacus!"
Bah, he really thinks he has it easy, without him there is money to be made. Ha, the emperor can only dream of implementing many of his policies!
The emperor was really afraid that Marquis Zhou would give up his duties and retire. "I have watched you for a while and know how hard you work."
Zhou Shuren was satisfied. He just wanted the emperor to know his difficulties and not think that he was omnipotent like a god. "Does the emperor want to see the list? I can give you the market price."
emperor,"."
No, there are countless treasures in my palace, he really doesn’t care about these!
Zhou Shuren just said, "What important matter does the emperor want to see me about?"
The emperor was in a bad mood. "I want to go to the imperial manor. Last time I asked you to go with me, so I came to the Ministry of Revenue to ask you to go with me."
Zhou Shuren didn't want to settle the score anymore. He also wanted to go out for a walk. "Your Majesty, please wait for your subjects."
As he spoke, Zhou Shuren wrote down the number on the abacus, then made a mark on the list before getting up to change into casual clothes.
The emperor waited for Zhou Shuren to leave, picked up the record book, and moved the abacus with his fingertips. The emperor was also worried. He and his father were both corrupted by Marquis Zhou. Marquis Zhou was too worry-free in the Ministry of Revenue, and he never worried about money.
He also knew that Marquis Zhou was old and would be responsible for the education of the emperor's eldest grandson in the future, but to whom should he hand over the Ministry of Revenue?
The emperor also looked for someone, and then compared him with Marquis Zhou. The emperor hoped that Marquis Zhou would live a long life.
When Zhou Shuren changed into casual clothes and came out, he saw the emperor flipping through the account books on the shelf. The shelves were labeled according to categories and were full of his records.
(End of this chapter)